Waitrose, Lidl and Aldi trump ‘big four’
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Waitrose is the UK’s favourite supermarket closely followed by discount chains Aldi and Lidl, according to a survey from consumer watchdog Which?
The upmarket supermarket and it’s low-cost rivals beat the “big four” supermarkets Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda and Morrisons which scored lower on customer satisfaction.
Waitrose was lauded for its “superior quality of food” and pleasant shopping experience while Aldi and Lidl matched the big four supermarkets on product quality and beat them on price.
However Danish discount supermarket Netto proved that low prices aren’t enough to win over the British shopper scoring the lowest satisfaction rating in the survey.
Which? chief executive, Peter Vicary-Smith, says: “The success of some budget supermarkets in our survey proves that savvy shoppers can make the most of their money without compromising on quality. UK shoppers want the whole package - great value for money, a wide range of quality products, and a pleasant shopping environment. It’s not rocket science, but those supermarkets that consistently get it wrong should beware - shoppers will vote with their feet and take their business elsewhere.”
Readers' comments (7)
Neil Woodcock | Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:52 am
This just reinforces my theory that, increasingly we'll see high-end and budget thriving in any category and a battlefield in the middle.
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Alan Bowman | Thu, 28 Jan 2010 1:04 pm
Customer satisfaction is only one dimension - a shopping trip is a complex set of variants and we cannot confuse satisfaction with popularity. 52% of grocery shoppers dont like the process anyway!
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paquito bites | Thu, 28 Jan 2010 1:34 pm
this should not come as a surprise to anyone.it is always a pleasant experience shopping in waitrose.
i am a great fan so much so that when i lived in highbury hill i used to do my weekly shopping at the kings rd branch a take the no19 bus all the way home.the other supermarkets has got it wrong for the discerning customers like me.one needs tranqualisers after a trip to the big 4.furthermore i hate being called mate when i seek assistance.at least in waitrose the old fashoined "sir" still prevails.it may be a class thing but waitrose is a class act,without the exception of sainsburys and tesco on the cromwell road sw7 which comes close.
in the age of sameness,true customer service,as opposed to lipservice is key to customer satisfaction.everyone claims to be on the consumer insight bandwagon,but few really practise it.marketing dept take note.it must come from the heart.
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Anonymous | Thu, 28 Jan 2010 1:56 pm
Game on...we used to spend £300 per month at ASDA and now spend £150 by using markets/ butchers for fresh meat and veg, Farmfoods for Frozen, Aldi for tins and cleaning products, Greggs for bread and Asda for Nappies! all are local and it truely does save you £££'s!!
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Claire Rutherford | Thu, 28 Jan 2010 3:00 pm
Does this result not say more about the profile of the Which? user rather than being a representative assessment of the market?
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Steve Abbott | Thu, 28 Jan 2010 5:18 pm
Looked at in terms of which supermarket people consider to be their 'Main Supermarket' the big 4 still come out on top. The latest figures (q4 2009) from The British Population Survey show that amongst main shoppers the big 4 account for almost 85%. Lidl and Aldi coming in at 1.7% and 1.3%. Waitrose at 3.4%.
The survey interviewed 15,600 main household shoppers.
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paquito bites | Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:52 pm
from a marketing point of view waitrose has got it hugely right,they have really understood their customers.admittedly they are predominantly middle-class but the experience must count for something.of course they are not cheap,but do we have to consume cheap food all the time,typically british.
as someone said,if you drive a rolls you do not buy the poor quality petrol.in similar manner why stuff yourself with the blandest food.
you may observe that sainsburys has taken a leaf from the waitrose mission statement.
there is cheap,there is value 4 money and there is outright extortion,you the customer has to decide.
finally let us agree that the illusion of choice is exactly that an illusion thanks to the marketing dept.how many cereals do we really need.
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